Paint and pour gatherings have become a popular event at bars and cafes, and now artist studios are getting into the act with painting parties, BYOB optional.

At Studio Life Art in Fall River, the monthly painting events for adults have become so sought out that owner Holli Faria now also offers them for couples, kids, and as private parties and fundraisers for various organizations.

“People come in and they’re all stressed out and I tell them to leave their stress on the canvas. It can be very relaxing,” said Faria, who opened the studio in the former mill space on Anawan Street at the end of November. “It’s a blast.”

Faria supplies all of the paints, a primed canvas, snacks, aprons, brushes and the inspiration for each monthly themed painting event, which is based on a still life object such as an anchor or a palm tree. “Each artist brings their own personal flavor or taste to the painting,” she said.

Participants don’t need to have any experience in painting, as Faria gives each person the basic knowledge they need to get the painting done in the three-hour event, as she calls it. Held more for those looking for something to do for a night out, than for the serious artist, the casual painting nights for adults cost $25. They start at 7 p.m. and run until 10 p.m., at which time a lot of the participants end up finishing off their night heading out to one of the nearby bars: Black Rabbit, Boondocks or the Tipsy Toboggan, said Faria.

“The greatest thing is to hear people when they come in joking about how they can only draw a stick figure, and they leave with a painting they’re proud of,” she said.

As more people started to return month after month, Faria decided to hold couples’ painting events as well. And many of the men who went to a couples painting event to make their wives and girlfriends happy turned out to be the ones who were most eager to return again a month later, said Faria.

Her sister, Rhonda Drolet, who has a degree in early childhood education and works for Future Scholars Pre-School in Tiverton, runs Studio Life Arts’ programs for kids that focus on science projects such as building volcanos and working with magnets to learn about magnetism. Faria teaches the kids the creative aspects of the educational projects.

This summer, starting in July, Studio Life Art will be offering three one-week summer camps for kids: Art, Nature and Yoga will be the focus of the first week (July 14 to 18) followed up with Wizards, Fairies and Music July 29 to Aug. 1 and Planets and Space Camp Aug. 4 to 8.

Page 2 of 2 - The next adult painting event is slated for July 19.

A dancer and dance teacher at Christine’s Academy of Dance in Fall River, Faria said she’s always been more of a creative type, so when she got laid off from her job at an insurance company, she decided to go to Bristol Community College to study fine arts and graphic design. After getting her associate’s degree, she opened the studio in the former mill space on Anawan Street around Thanksgiving last year. She’s currently pursuing a bachelor’s degree in art at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth as well as running Studio Life Art. “I always thought if you love what you’re doing, you can make a living at it, and so far, the Studio is doing really well,” she said.

Studio Life Art is located at 192 Anawan St. For more information, visit www.studiolifeart.com.